Process and device for the treatment of atrial arrhythmia

A process for the ablation of tissue contained within a pulmonary vein of a human heart comprising:

• advancing a catheter through the atrium of the heart to the pulmonary vein;
• introducing an RF electrode associated with the catheter into the pulmonary vein;
• introducing a conductive media in the pulmonary vein;
• applying RF energy to the RF electrode;
• and
• creating a circumferential ablation lesion within the pulmonary vein by conducting energy from the RF electrode to the pulmonary vein tissue through the introduced conductive media, wherein the ablation lesion electrically isolates atrial premature contractions in the pulmonary vein.

A process for preventing atrial premature contractions originating within a pulmonary vein from being conducted into a left atrium of a human heart comprising:

• advancing a medical device into the left atrium of a human heart;
• introducing the advanced medical device into the pulmonary vein from the left atrium of a human heart;
• sensing electrical activity within the pulmonary vein using the introduced medical device;
• locating a source of an atrial premature contraction within the pulmonary vein using the sensed electrical activity;
• expanding a surface into contact with the tissue of the pulmonary veins introducing a conductive media;
• and
• forming an ablation lesion in tissue of the pulmonary vein at a location proximal from the located source of an atrial premature contraction within the pulmonary vein, wherein the ablation lesion electrically isolates the located source of an atrial premature contraction in the pulmonary vein from connection with the left atrium and blocks passage of an atrial premature contraction originating from the located source.

A process for the ablation of tissue contained within a pulmonary vein of a human heart comprising:

• advancing a catheter through the atrium of the heart to the pulmonary vein;
• introducing an RF electrode associated with the catheter into the pulmonary vein;
• expanding a surface associated with the catheter into contact with the tissue of the pulmonary vein;
• introducing a conductive media in the pulmonary vein;
• applying RF energy to the RF electrode;
• and
• creating an ablation lesion within the pulmonary vein by conducting energy from the RF electrode to the pulmonary vein tissue through the introduced conductive media, wherein the ablation lesion electrically isolates atrial premature contractions in the pulmonary vein.